The Nigeria Football Federation has confirmed a Super Eagles friendly against Russia in Nizhny Novgorod on October 6, a rematch of last year’s 1-1 draw.
The Super Eagles have a fresh date on the calendar. The Nigeria Football Federation has confirmed an international friendly against Russia, set for October 6 at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. It’s a rematch of the sides’ meeting in Moscow last year, and it slots in right after Nigeria’s September AFCON 2027 qualifiers.
Nigeria will travel to the 44,000-capacity Nizhny Novgorod Stadium — a venue that hosted matches during the 2018 FIFA World Cup — to face Russia on Tuesday, October 6. This will be Russia’s second fixture at the ground. Meanwhile, the two nations sit fairly close in the FIFA world rankings: Nigeria at 26th, Russia at 35th, so this isn’t a mismatch on paper.
This is the second meeting between Nigeria and Russia in 16 months. Their previous friendly, played in Moscow in June 2025, ended 1-1. Russia took an early lead through a 27th-minute own goal from defender Semi Ajayi, before Tolu Arokodare levelled the scores in the 71st minute. That result gives this rematch a bit of extra edge, even in a friendly context.
Friendlies outside the AFCON qualifying window tend to serve a different purpose for Eric Chelle than the competitive fixtures do. Reports around September’s qualifiers suggest Chelle plans to field a more experimental group — leaning on Under-23 talent — for matches like this one, while keeping his most reliable performers focused on the qualifying campaign. So don’t expect an exact repeat of the qualifier lineup when Nigeria take the field in Nizhny Novgorod.
With Victor Osimhen already ruled out of the September qualifiers through injury, his fitness for the October window will be one of the first things Nigerian fans check as the friendly approaches. It’s also a chance for fringe players to state a case for a bigger role once the AFCON qualifiers resume. For the full rundown of who’s currently in and out of Chelle’s plans, see our Super Eagles squad guide.
The Russia friendly arrives shortly after Nigeria’s September qualifying fixtures against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, and ahead of the next round of AFCON 2027 qualifiers later in the year. As a result, October’s squad list should offer an early read on how Chelle is rotating his group as the qualifying campaign enters its business end. We’ll update this piece with team news and confirmed lineups as the fixture gets closer.
For background on where Nigeria stand in their qualifying group and who’s carrying the squad right now, read our latest Osimhen injury update. And if you’re planning to follow the Super Eagles’ next fixtures with a Nigerian bookmaker, our ranked list of licensed betting sites is a good place to compare options.
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